Chapter 83

"Yaaaaaah!! I want to eat the onion gratin soup tooooooo!!"

Someone who wanted to eat the luxurious soup that was given to Prince Egiedilus and the others raised their hand.

"I want to eat it tooooooo!!"

"I want to eat it tooooooo!!"

Once one person said it, everyone else joined in without fail. This has somehow become a regular occurrence.

Where did your manners go, everyone?

The initial modesty is nowhere to be seen.

"Say that after you've raised your status."

Lina ignored them. Why do they think they can eat the same thing as the princes?

"「...That's harsh」"

They were completely deflated.

Putting aside the onion gratin soup, they decided to have lunch with the onion soup included. The soup was rich and flavorful, thanks to the well-fried onions. If there was one thing to complain about, it was the lack of pepper. A bit of spiciness would have been nice.

"Delicious!!"

"I definitely prefer this one!!"

"I might like the cream stew better..."

It seems everyone has their preferences. They were voicing their opinions, and from what Lina could tell, the cream stew faction was the majority.

"Is there also a potage?"

Rick asked while drinking the onion soup.

"Yeah."

When she checked the fridge earlier, she saw clams and other shellfish, so she could make a simple clam chowder, but probably not enough for everyone.

"What about the potatoes?"

"Hmm. The potatoes..."

She froze mid-explanation.

It was because Lady Rana and the others were standing at the entrance. Rick noticed Lina's expression and also froze when he saw Rana.

"Why... are you eating first...?"

Rana and the others were furious. They had been made to pick cuckoo berries, yet Lina and the others hadn't waited for them.

"...I forgot."

Lina gave a wry smile. She had genuinely forgotten. Rick had probably forgotten too.

"Heyyyyy!! That's terrible, Lina!!"

Monica puffed out her cheeks.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll prepare lunch for everyone right away..."

As she stood up to say this, Lina froze again.

She froze at the sight of the bulging bags in Rana's and the others' hands. The burlap bags, about the size of a backpack, were stuffed to the brim. Each person was carrying two bags.

"Those... are cuckoo berries...?"

She knew it, but she asked just to be sure.

"Yes? We picked both the red and black ones."

They placed the bags on the nearby table with a thud. There were 24 bags in total.

"......"

What? Did you pick all the cuckoo berries from the garden?

"That's... amazing... Rana."

Rick said, somewhat nervously.

Judging by the look of it, each bag probably weighed about 3 kilograms, and there were 24 bags.

The total weight must be around 70 kilograms...

Lina had told them to pick the berries, but the sheer amount was overwhelming.